The Big Eight is one of the oldest leagues in the state as its membership has remained steady for decades. That will change in 2017 with Bronson joining the league and Athens leaving as the Indians start to make the transition to 8-man football in a few years.

Which means, for the first time since 1947, Athens and Union City will not be playing for the Little Brown Jug — one of the longest-running trophy games in the state.

Bronson comes to the Big Eight after jumping around to a few leagues — from the St. Joe Valley to the Berrien-Cass-St.Joseph Conference — in recent seasons.

What remains the same about the Big Eight is that there will be heated competition among the small-school league with proud football traditions.

Concord, Springport and Homer tied for the league title in 2016 as each went 6-1 with all three losing to one of the other teams in that trio. It was the second straight league title for Homer.

Union City, the 2014 champion, is hoping to bounce back and get in contention for the title after two sub-.500 seasons.

Outlook: Bronson is hoping good experience can create good results as the Vikings try to improve last year's 1-8 mark. Bronson is looking for its first winning season since 2012 as it enters its first season in the Big Eight. The Vikings feature six returning starters on both offense and defense.

"We have experienced players on our defensive and offensive lines. We really like our linebackers also, as Randy Thyng and Chase Gibson have looked stellar in the preseason. And we are excited to have a four-year varsity player in Cole Houtz at running back," Burzynski said.

Outlook: After losing its first two games, Homer went on a roll and won eight straight, including a first-round playoff contest, before finishing 8-3 on the season. That resulted in a second-straight Big Eight title as the Trojans are hoping to use that momentum for similar success this season.

Homer has good experience on the offensive and defensive line, as the team has shown a strong dedication to the weight room, with three returning seniors with starting experience, including Jeryn Martin, Jeryd Damron and Jeremy Hall. Some experience at the skill positions will also help with returning receivers Joe Roth and Kyle Klepper as well as running back Seth Spence and quarterback Jordan Sherman.

"We have a unique mix of veteran players and underclassmen that will need to gel quickly for us to be successful," said Brya. "Despite having low roster numbers this year, our goals of making the playoffs and competing for the Big Eight championship remain unchanged. We look to continue to emphasize the brotherhood that our program is built on and a strong desire to get better every day."

Outlook: A good returning group has Quincy thinking it can climb up the Big Eight standings after finishing in the middle of the pack last year. The Orioles showed some promise last year with only its third winning season since 2005.

Quincy will be led by an experienced backfield that returns Ryan Gibson and Bryce Ruhl at running back as well as Luke Rufenaunt, who played quarterback last season. Those skill position players will have some quality players up front to run behind with senior returners Mason Shilling and Kenny Cox.

"We have a solid core of veteran football players coming back this year. We should be competitive this year barring injuries," Evans said.

Outlook: Union City suffered from some inexperience and low numbers last season and the result was a 2-7 record. The Chargers, who have been to the playoffs 11 times since 2000, are hoping to get back to that kind of success with more experience this year.

"We are looking to rebound after a tough 2016 season where a lack of numbers played a toll. We graduated just four seniors and will return the rest of last year’s team along with additions from some 2016 JV players and some kids that were not a part of the program last year," Bruce said.